![\"Shohei](\"https:\/\/sportsnaut.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Shohei-Ohtani-26248620.jpg\")
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It\u2019s been nearly two years since Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani pitched in an MLB game. The last time he took the mound was on Aug. 23, 2023 while a member of the Los Angeles Angels, when he went just 1 1\/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n
He would undergo elbow surgery that September. He hasn\u2019t faced batters since, but Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior revealed that could soon change.<\/p>\n
During an interview with the \u201cDodgers Territory\u201d podcast, Prior said Ohtani could face live batters for the first time as soon as next month as he\u2019s been accelerating his bullpen sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is getting closer. In his last couple of bullpens, he\u2019s really ramped up the intensity in all of his pitches,\u201d explained Prior. \u201cI think we\u2019re getting close to where he can start facing some hitters. Whether that\u2019s in the next couple of weeks, or as we turn into June \u2014 the latter part of June \u2014 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s unreasonable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n However, when Ohtani faces hitters will depend on how he feels after games, because as Prior puts it, it\u2019s \u201calways a little TBD\u201d because of what Ohtani does offensively and the stress it takes on his body.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s kind of an outlier situation.<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s days where he goes four-for-four, and he\u2019s running around on the base paths and he comes in the next day and he\u2019s feeling tired and exhausted,\u201d noted Prior. \u201cSo the throwing work volume needs to be cut short or tweaked to kind of manage that. It\u2019s been an ongoing learning process I think for everybody involved.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Even though he\u2019s not pitching, Ohtani is still on pace to win back-to-back National League MVP awards, and his fourth overall.<\/p>\n He\u2019s tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 17 and also tops baseball in runs scored with 52. He\u2019s slashing .304\/.398\/.655 with a 194 OPS+ and 2.6 bWAR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been nearly two years since Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani pitched in an MLB game. The last time he took the mound was on Aug…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n